This invention relates to a control system for a watercraft, and more particularly to an improved control mechanism for the reverse thrust bucket of a watercraft propelled by a jet propulsion unit.
As is well-known, most types of watercraft without a reverse drive are very difficult to bring to a halt in a short time period. With propeller driven watercraft embodying a forward, neutral, reverse transmission, retardation can be accomplished by shifting the transmission from a forward drive mode into a reverse drive mode. This even takes some time, however, since the engine must be decelerated before the transmission can be shifted into the reverse drive mode.
It has been discovered that jet-propelled watercraft embodying reverse thrust buckets can be readily decelerated through the shifting of the reverse thrust bucket into its reverse position and the acceleration of the driving speed of the jet propulsion unit. Even more importantly, the trim of a jet propelled watercraft can be readily adjusted by utilizing the reverse thrust bucket. If the reverse thrust bucket is moved from a forward drive position toward a reverse drive position, trim of the watercraft can actually be adjusted. However, the control for the reverse thrust bucket is normally positioned at a remote location from the other watercraft controls so as to avoid its inadvertent operation. This renders it unsuitable for retardation and trim adjustment purposes, for the most part.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved control system for a watercraft.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved trim system for watercraft and a control therefor.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved operator control for the reverse thrust bucket of a jet-propelled watercraft.
In normal application of the reverse thrust bucket, the control lever can move through a large degree of movement because the shifting into reverse is done only infrequently. However, when the reverse thrust bucket is to be employed for a retardation purposes, it is desirable that the operator need only move the actuator through a small distance. The previously proposed reverse thrust bucket actuating mechanisms have not permitted this goal to be attained.
It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide an improved reverse thrust bucket actuating mechanism wherein the operator for the reverse thrust bucket need only move a small amount to shift the reverse thrust bucket from its forward drive position to its reverse drive position.
It is another object of this invention to provide an operating mechanism for the reverse thrust bucket of a jet propulsion unit, which offers a significant mechanical advantage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved trim adjustment arrangement for a jet propelled watercraft.